February 15, 2026

China Aircraft Carriers

Blurb:

China’s biggest all-electric bulk carrier, named Gezhouba, was launched on Thursday in Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, marking a key milestone in the country’s green and intelligent shipping sector.

The vessel, with a length of nearly 130 meters and a maximum load capacity of over 13,000 tonnes, is equipped with 12 lithium battery power units providing total energy capacity of 24,000 kWh.

Its developer said this vessel allows for rapid battery swapping and boasts a range of 500 kilometers.

China is allegedly the first country in the world to launch a jet off an aircraft carrier using an electromagnetic catapult (EMALS). The country released a video of a J-34 stealth fighter being launched by an EMALS catapult off an aircraft carrier at sea. The name of the aircraft carrier was not mentioned in any reports, which all seem to come from the Chinese state media video itself, and the claims made on it.

Regardless of the full efficacy of the claim, China’s rapid development of aircraft carriers poses a security risk for the United States, though the era of the aircraft carrier itself is in question by some.

Blurb:

Key Points and Summary – China has achieved a significant naval aviation milestone, releasing video of its J-35 stealth fighter launching via an electromagnetic catapult (EMALS) from the new aircraft carrier Fujian.

-This marks the first time any nation has publicly demonstrated an EMALS launch of a stealth fighter from a carrier at sea.

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Excerpt:

 In a significant development in the Indo-Pacific and and a matter of concern for India, US and East Asian Countries, China has intensified its maritime military capabilities by deploying its largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, Fujian, into the sea. As per media reports, the Fujian aircraft carrier is not only China’s most advanced but also its first fully domestically designed flat-deck supercarrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults. Here are all the details you need to know about the Fujian advanced aircraft carrier.

China’s Fujian aircraft carrier: Why India should be cautious?

Reportedly similar to the US Navy’s Gerald R. Ford-class, the deployment of the aircraft carrier marks a significant step in Beijing’s naval modernization and signals its growing strategic ambitions from the Taiwan Strait to the Indian Ocean.

Why China’s Fujian aircraft carrier is dangerous?

As per media reports, the Fujian aircraft carrier was first deployed for sea trials in May 2024 and is expected to join service by the end of 2025. More importantly, the aircraft carrier has been equipped with an electromagnetic catapult system (EMALS), making China the only country in the world after US to use an electromagnetic catapult system (EMALS) to land fighter jets on a carrier.

 

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Excerpt:

TAIPEI: The two Chinese aircraft carriers spotted conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time send a political message about the country’s “expansionist” aims, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday (Jun 11).

Japan’s defence minister said the previous day that the appearance of the Chinese aircraft carriers signified Beijing’s intention to further widen its capabilities beyond its borders.

Koo said the armed forces had a “full grasp” of the carriers’ movements.

“Crossing from the first island chain into the second island chain sends a definite political message and their expansionist nature can be seen,” he told reporters in Taipei.

The first island chain refers to an area that runs from Japan down to Taiwan, the Philippines and Borneo, while the second island chain spreads further out into the Pacific to include places like the US territory of Guam.

Two Chinese aircraft carriers seen in Pacific for first time, Japan says | Military News– www.aljazeera.com
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Excerpt:

Two Chinese aircraft carriers have been seen operating in the Pacific at once for the first time, Japan’s Ministry of Defence has said.

China’s Shandong and four other vessels on Monday sailed within Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

The aircraft carrier conducted landing and takeoff drills involving its fighter jets and helicopters in waters north of the Pacific atoll of Okinotori, the ministry said.

Tokyo’s announcement came a day after Japanese officials said the Liaoning, the older of China’s two operating aircraft carriers, had entered waters near the remote island of Minamitorishima.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tokyo would step up surveillance and had conveyed “an appropriate message” to China, without elaborating.

On Monday, Hayashi, who is Tokyo’s top spokesman, said China’s growing maritime activity appeared to be aimed at bolstering its capability to carry out missions farther from its shores.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Monday defended the aircraft carriers’ movements, describing them as “fully consistent with international law and international practices”.

“Our national defence policy is defensive in nature. We hope Japan will view those activities objectively and rationally,” Lin told a regular news conference.